1. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Overview Exposition vs. Argumentation

2. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Exposition vs. Argumentation  Expository writing has a narrow topic. stays focused on the main ideas. is elaborated using reasons, well-chosen and specific details, examples, and/or anecdotes to support ideas. includes information that is interesting, thoughtful, and necessary for the audience. is organized with an introduction, supporting paragraphs with main points and elaboration, and an effective conclusion. uses transitions to connect ideas. shows commitment to topic with voice and language appropriate for audience and purpose. uses specific words and phrases that help the reader understand ideas.

3. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Exposition vs. Argumentation  argumentative writing has a clear position and is focused on that position. has more than one argument to support a position. is elaborated by using reasons, well-chosen and specific details, examples, anecdotes, facts, and/or statistics as evidence to support arguments. is organized to make the best case for a position. anticipates and refutes the opposing position. begins with an opening, including a statement of position, and ending with an effective argumentative conclusion, such as a call for action. uses transitions to connect position, arguments, and evidence. shows commitment to position by writing in a voice appropriate for audience and purpose. uses words, phrases, and argumentative strategies that urge or compel the reader to support a position.

4. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Argumentative Writing – definition  In argumentative writing, a writer takes a position FOR or AGAINST an issue and writes to convince the reader to believe or do something.

5. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Characteristics of Argumentative Writing  Clear position  Audience awareness  Argumentative language Rhetorical questions Semantics: Connotation vs. Denotation Euphemism  Argumentative strategies Inclusion of statistics Expert testimony

6. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Characteristics of Argumentative Writing  Organizational Structures Order of Importance Causal Chain Concession/Rebuttal (or counter argument) Cause and Effect Problem/Solution Definition Combination of several structures  Introductions Explanation/Definition Scenario/Anecdote Questioning  Conclusions Call to action Predict outcome Offer a solution  Assessment

7. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Purposes of Argumentation Support a cause Urge people to action Promote change Refute a theory Arouse sympathy Stimulate interest Win agreement Solve a problem

8. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Argumentation is Powerful Use it to:  Urge people to action

9. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Argumentation is Powerful Use it to:  Support a cause

10. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Argumentation is Powerful Use it to:  Stir up sympathy

11. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Argumentation is Powerful Use it to:  Prove something wrong

12. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Argumentation is Powerful Use it to:  Make a change

13. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Argumentation is Powerful Use it to:  Get people to agree with you

14. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Argumentation is Powerful Use it to:  Create interest

15. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. What Persuades You?  Why do you decide to go along with something?  How do you convince others to go along with you?  How persuasive are you?

16. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Argumentative Writing Essentials Audience Awareness Firm Position Argumentative Language Organizational Structure

17. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Argumentative Writing Argumentative writing is recursive in nature. All of the essential elements are constantly working together to make the best case for the position.

18. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Audience Awareness  Know your audience before you start writing. The audience is who will read your writing. The audience may include your teacher, your parents, your friends, or the President of the United States.  Think about the needs of your reader (audience) so you can give reasons that will persuade him/her.

19. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Audience Awareness  Knowing your audience helps you to decide how to connect with the ideas, knowledge, or beliefs of the person or group. what information to include. how informal or formal the language should be.

20. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Audience Awareness – example Dear Mrs. Gillingham, Imagine you were a student, sitting in algebra when your teacher says, “Okay, get out your homework.” You rustle around in your backpack for a while until you realize -- oh no! You left your homework at home, perfectly done.

21. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Clear Position (AKA Claim) The writer must have a clear position and stay focused on that position. Generally, the position is stated in the opening paragraph or introduction.

22. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Clear Position – example Anxiety creases the brows of many students trying to finish their homework on time. If they don’t finish on time, they won’t get any credit. Having a no late homework rule is a very bad idea. Students’ grades will drop, their work will be of lesser quality, and school won’t feel as welcoming. Students won’t be able to do work worth a lot of merit.

23. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Clear Position – Find the Position Statement I think late homework should be accepted. Imagine you were a student sitting in your math class when your teacher says, “Okay, get out your homework!” You rustle around in your backpack for a while until you realize – oh no! You left your homework at home perfectly done. The teacher comes by your desk and you say, “I am sorry. I left my homework at home. My mom just had a baby, so I was taking care of her, and I just ran out the door without it.” Your teacher smiles at you. “It’s okay. I understand. Just bring it in tomorrow.” Isn’t that a better situation than “Oh too bad! You don’t get any credit for it”?

24. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Clear Position – Find the Position Statement “I’m sorry!” “Sorry isn’t good enough! This assignment was due yesterday, not today.” Here I am on my knees begging for mercy at my teacher’s feet. Tears forming in my eyes, I feel like an out- of-order water fountain ready to explode! I sigh and back away like a puppy dog with its tail between its legs. I slump back down in my plastic, red chair and stare at the metal desk. “I worked so hard,” I muttered silently to myself. The teacher turned her back on me and continued on with today’s lesson. I am against the no late homework rule because some students did the work but forgot it at home, and others forgot about the assignment but make it up the next day.

25. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Argumentative Language  Connotation and denotation Define the following words. Generate connotations. Discuss which words have positive, neutral, or negative connotations.  Group, throng, mob  Insinuate, suggest, imply  Slow, challenged, retarded  Thin, skinny, scrawny  Gentle, benign, harmless  Persnickety, selective, finicky, picky Create your own groupings of words with similar denotations, but varying connotations.

26. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Argumentative Language Euphemism  A euphemism is the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for an expression thought of as harsh or blunt.  Discuss the following and generate more euphemistic expressions for each blunt word or expression. Pass away vs. To die Powder Room vs. Toilet Humanitarian Intervention vs. War

27. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Argumentative Language  Argumentative language is choosing just the right words or phrases to use at just the right time with just the right audience. Strong words trigger strong feelings.  Seizes  Snarls  Dumbstruck Effective choice of connotations  Mean or strict  Late fee or extended-viewing fee  Used or pre-owned  Surge or escalate Repeated words or phrases for emphasis  I have a dream…(Martin Luther King, Jr.)

28. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Argumentative Language – Find Words that Could Be More Effective You are a high school student. Essay in one hand, you go to class. “I’m done!” You smile. The teacher takes the essay out of your hands and throws it away. She says, “It’s a day late!” You look at your hard work. The teacher didn’t look at it! The No Late Homework Rule is bad.

29. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Argumentative Language Imagine yourself as a high school student. Five page essay in one hand, you rush into the classroom. “I’m done! I’m done!” you pant, beaming proudly. The teacher seizes the essay out of your grasp and tears it to pieces before your eyes. She snarls, “It’s a day late!” On your knees, you stare dumbstruck at your hard work, ripped to shreds. The teacher didn’t even glance at it! The No Late Homework Rule is a cruel, horrible rule.

30. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Argumentative Organizational Structures  Order of Importance  Causal Chain  Concession/Rebuttal  Cause/Effect  Problem/Solution  Definition

31. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Organizational Structures  The argumentative structures you select depend on the ideas in your paper and your audience.  Argumentative organization frequently is very different from expository organization.  As we look at different structures, we will see how they effect the organization of the paper.

32. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Organizational Structure – Order of Importance  Support for a position prioritized from most to least or least to most important

33. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Order of Importance Homework should be abolished because students are too busy after school to make up for what teachers can’t seem to find time to teach during the day. Some students are athletes or participate in club activities while many students spend their after-school time working. These young adults don’t have time to re-work algebra problems! If you’re a successful athlete, you may be lucky enough to get money to go to college – that’s more important than recopying an essay! Clubs may serve as practice for the work force. But what really counts in a teen’s life would be to work in order to live, help out the family by taking care of siblings, or save money for college. In the face of these responsibilities or chances to improve life, what student would instead choose to review history notes?

34. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Order of Importance – Discuss Approaches Recently, a citizen’s group proposed a change to the rules for obtaining a driver’s license. The group has proposed that high school students have at least a “B” average in order to get a driver’s license. Take a position on this proposal. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper to persuade voters to agree with your position.

35. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Order of Importance – Transitional Phrases  Of most importance  Primarily  Significantly  Of particular concern  Foremost, furthermore  The most, greatest  In particular  Most bothersome  Particularly difficult  The worst  Of greatest concern  Of less (or least) importance

36. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Order of Importance – application  Prompt Recently, a citizen’s group proposed a change to the rules for obtaining a driver’s license. The group has proposed that high school students have at least a “B” average in order to get a driver’s license. Take a position on this proposal. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper to persuade voters to agree with your position.  Apply the order of importance strategy to your paper.  Select and apply appropriate transitions as you write.

37. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Organizational Structure – Causal Chain A culminating chain of events where one action leads to the next (snowball or domino effect)

38. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Causal Chain For me school starts at 7:30, which means I need to leave my house at 7:00 or 7:05. But for other students who ride the bus they must be ready far earlier than that. I see people half asleep standing outside waiting for that big yellow bus to take them to a long, tiring day at school. I think if school started later it would put many people at ease. Even if you get that extra half an hour of sleep, it can do wonders. You won’t be tired for that first period test, you won’t have to take that nap second period and miss your history notes, and you won’t miss breakfast and have to spend class time counting down the minutes to lunch. Many things would be so much better if school started later.

39. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Causal Chain – Definition  This is about a ballooning cause and effect.  Event A causes event B, which in turn causes event C, etc.  This organizational structure may be used for an entire essay or just a portion of it.

40. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Causal Chain – Transitional Phrases  After  Consequently  Since, because  Before  Meanwhile, while  At that time  Preceding  Although  Earlier  Finally  During  Every time  Soon  Simultaneously  As a result  This will lead to

41. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Organizational Structure – Concession/Rebuttal Recognizing the opposing viewpoint Conceding something may have some merit Then countering with another argument

42. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Concession/Rebuttal Example There is nothing more important to students than the ability to express their unique sense of self. Whether it’s grunge, goth, or glam, each student at our high school is a person whose voice must be heard. Dress codes would turn us all into a bland, uniform mass of white and navy. Having a school dress code might improve discipline, which might be true in schools where students fight over shoes, but enforcing a dress code will cause student rebellion, generating even more discipline issues than we have now. Some say a dress code will reduce the numbers of cliques in school, but students will adapt and find new ways to express themselves. Hairstyles, piercings, and tattoos will not just prove which group the student belongs to, but will make students even more of a discipline problem when the tattoos permanently express youth distress. We are still individuals and should be allowed to express ourselves, and allowed our civil rights. Students must never be forced to wear uniforms at the school board’s wishes.

43. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Concession/Rebuttal  A reader of your essay is more likely to listen to you if you show you can see his/her point of view before you counter that argument.  Concession is when you acknowledge or consider the opposing viewpoint, conceding something that has some merit.  Rebuttal is when your own argument proves the other side to be flawed, and shows your argument is stronger.  Read the Cell Phone articles and highlight areas of concession and rebuttal.

44. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Concession/Rebuttal – Looking at the Other Side  Concession is a strategy. Concede only one or two points. Choose what you concede strategically.  Rebuttal is a strategy. Not everything needs rebuttal. Rebut the most important or most easily supported points.  Students have used Concession/Rebuttal successfully on the CBA.

45. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Concession/Rebuttal – Transitional Phrases  It is true that…however…therefore…  Certainly…but…in short…  Admittedly…on the other hand…so…  Of course…nevertheless…as a result…  Obviously…on the contrary…finally…  Sure…however…in addition…

46. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Concession/Rebuttal – example one Find the transitions in this paragraph. It is true that students should not have headphones on when their teachers are giving a lesson. Students should not be allowed to block out their teachers. However, when every member of the class is working individually after important information has been given, listening to music can be a helpful learning tool. It would create a more relaxing, calm environment for learning. Some students can concentrate more while listening to music. As a result grades could go up and it would definitely make school more enjoyable. Therefore, our school should allow headphones in the classroom.

47. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Concession/Rebuttal – student sample Example 1 It is true that students should not have headphones on when their teachers are giving a lesson. Students should not be allowed to block out their teachers. However, when every member of the class is working individually after important information has been given, listening to music can be a helpful learning tool. It would create a more relaxing, calm environment for learning. Some students can concentrate more while listening to music. As a result grades could go up and it would definitely make school more enjoyable. Therefore, our school should allow headphones in the classroom.

48. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Concession/Rebuttal – student sample Example 2 Find the transitions – some were not listed. Certainly, some students abuse the absentee policy and lie about being sick. They usually try to get out of school for one reason or the other. But the majority of students stay home because they are sick. When a student is sick, he should be focusing on getting better, not worrying about missing classes and grades. Also when a student comes to school when he is sick because he doesn’t want to lose credits, he is not helping himself. Chances are he'll have trouble concentrating and won't learn anything. In fact, he will probably be spreading germs to other students. The bottom line is a student has no control over when he is going to get sick. It would be better for everyone if excused absences were dismissed.

49. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Concession/Rebuttal – student sample Example 2 Certainly, some students abuse the absentee policy and lie about being sick. They usually try to get out of school for one reason or the other. But the majority of students stay home because they are sick. When a student is sick, he should be focusing on getting better, not worrying about missing classes and grades. Also when a student comes to school when he is sick because he doesn’t want to lose credits, he is not helping himself. Chances are he'll have trouble concentrating and won't learn anything. In fact, he will probably be spreading germs to other students. The bottom line is a student has no control over when he is going to get sick. It would be better for everyone if excused absences were dismissed.

50. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Organizational Structure – Cause/Effect Explain why something happened and what came about as a result.

51. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Cause/Effect – example Just stay home. The unexcused absence policy at our school is ineffective and needs to be changed. Currently, this policy actually encourages misbehaving. If students skip class, they get one hour of detention. If they then fail to report to detention for three days in a row, they receive one day of at-home suspension. Therefore, this policy punishes a student who skips class by letting them stay home. This actually gives the student more time away from school – just what the school doesn’t want.

52. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Cause/Effect – application The school board is considering closing campus during lunch, due to community safety concerns and complaints from local business owners. Write a letter to the school board from the point of view of either a community member or a business owner in which you persuade the board to close campus to reduce lunch- time problems.

53. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Cause/Effect – application  Read the prompt and consider the respective points of view on the issue.  Select the point of view from which you want to write.  Consider the different causes for the problem and different effects.  Use the appropriate cause/effect transitions.

54. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Cause/Effect – Transitional Phrases  Because  As a result of  Consequently  Due to  Since  For this reason  Accordingly  For  Therefore  Hence  Furthermore  If/Then  Thus  Although  Owing to  So

55. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Organizational Structure – Problem/Solution Explain the problem or issue, and suggest how it can be solved.

56. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Problem/Solution – example Because the world dumps tons of garbage and waste onto the planet every day, recycling should become the law. The real problem is that every week, each family of four generates enough trash to fill two 32 gallon garbage cans. This happens because people are lazy, have busy lives, and buy products with excessive packaging. If people knew there was an immediate consequence for this waste, they would be more inclined to recycle. We must acknowledge that no one likes to pay a fine or have the government tell them what to do, but if recycling were required, we could reduce the amount of trash produced by at least 50%. The best solution to curbing pollution is to enforce recycling by law.

57. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Problem/Solution – Transitional Phrases  A possible remedy  The best solution  A better way  A feasible solution  The proposed solution  The real problem is  The underlying issue is  The specific problem  We must acknowledge

58. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Problem/Solution – Generate a Topic  Brainstorm several problems within our school or community.  Select one you know the most about and consider possible solutions to this problem.  Decide who could take action on your solution and how to persuade this audience that your proposal is feasible and should have their support.  Consider carefully what questions readers might ask and how you would respond to questions or objections.

59. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Problem/Solution – application  Refer to your notes from the previous activity.  Refer back to the sample paragraph.  Present the problem, and define it clearly.  Propose a feasible solution.  Anticipate and address opposition.  Write a paragraph where you include all the elements of problem, solution, and opposition.

60. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Organizational Structure – Definition Define the elements of a concept, and explain how, or whether or not, your definition fits or does not fit.

61. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Definition – example Just because the food gets to your table quickly, this doesn’t mean that the breakfast café down the street is a fast food restaurant. If there is a waitress or a waiter, you know you’re not in a fast food restaurant. If there’s a menu on the table and not on a display over the cash register, then you’re not eating fast food. When you eat with a plate and utensils, you pay for your meal after you eat, and are expected to tip the server, then you’re not at a fast food restaurant. The meal may be greasy, quick, and cheap, but that’s not enough to tell you that where you are is a fast food restaurant. The key elements of fast food meals are pre-paid, packaged, served perfunctorily without wait-staff, and selected from a sign over the cashier’s head.

62. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Definition – Transitional Phrases  To illustrate  This means/doesn’t mean  That’s not enough to define  This signifies/constitutes  A key element of  Within the category of  The first criteria is  Other transitions that may help for this structure If/then In contrast For example To explain Whereas Furthermore As well as

63. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Definition – Discuss Approaches  If a student falls asleep in class, is this a disrespectful action?  Take a stand, and using a definition of ‘disrespect’, persuade that your interpretation is the right one.

64. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Definition – application  The administration at your school is considering lack of preparation for class (no books, paper, pencil, etc.) a disrespectful action, and therefore will require a disciplinary referral.  Take a stand on this issue, and write a paragraph to persuade your principal that lack of preparation is or is not a disrespectful action.

65. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. argumentative Organizational Structures Identification

66. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. argumentative Organizational Structures  Order of importance Topics are prioritized from most to least or least to most  Causal chain A culminating chain of events where one thing leads to the next (snowball or domino effect)

67. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. argumentative Organizational Structures  Concession/Rebuttal Organization Acknowledging or recognizing the opposing viewpoint Conceding something that has some merit Then countering with another argument

68. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. argumentative Organizational Structures  Cause/effect Explain why something happened, and what came about as a result.  Problem/solution Explain the problem or issue, and suggest how it can be solved.  Definition Define the elements of a concept, and explain how, or whether or not, your definition fits.  Combination Effective papers often use a combination of several structures.

69. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Name that Organizational Structure!  Get into groups of 4.  Have your definitions for organizational structures with you.  Open your envelope.  Sort your sentences to make whole paragraphs.  Review definitions sheet, and determine which definition is the best fit for your paragraph.

70. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Apply an Organizational Structure  The high school is considering requiring each student to donate 30 hours of time to help your community. What do you think about this plan? Take a position, and write a letter to the school board persuading them to support your position.  Try out a structure you haven’t tried before.  Write one paragraph, and identify the sentences that prove it fits that structure.  Then, label the whole paragraph with which structure you used.

71. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. argumentative Introductions

72. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Introductions  Purpose grabs the reader’s attention. implies an organizational structure of the paper. is connected to the body of the writing and is a clear lead-in to the position. includes a position that is stated or implied.

73. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Ineffective argumentative Introduction I am strongly against your proposal for required homework in every class for many good reasons. Some of these reasons are that there is too much homework already, kids want to have fun in school, and finally, everyone would have to work harder. I will begin by telling you why I think we have too much homework.

74. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Introductions  Some argumentative introduction strategies Scenario/Anecdote: The writer provides hypothetical or personal examples to illustrate the topic. Inquiry/Questioning: The writer asks thought- provoking, maybe even edgy, questions to capture the reader’s interest. Preparatory Definition/Explanation: The writer defines or explains the subject before discussing it in detail.

75. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Introductions – sample one Who in their right mind thought that high school students should get up in the dark when their natural rhythm is just the opposite? Who in their right mind would put the most inexperienced drivers on the road before the sun is even up? What parents in their right minds would sign up for a morning fight 180 days a year? What teacher in his or her right mind would want to motivate a somnambulant first period class? Only someone who is actually in their right mind would move the start time of high school to a sensible 10 am.

76. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Introductions – sample two The majority of high schools have kept a starting time that was begun in the 1920’s when students needed to get back to their farms to tend to chores. This means that class still starts at 7:30 am, which current research proves is the worst time for the teen mind. Why then do we continue to use a system that we know doesn’t work well for the very students that the school is trying to teach? To ensure student success, we must change our schedule to start school at 10 am.

77. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Introductions – sample three It is 5:45 a.m. Time to get up. “Mom, just a little longer,” I beg. Six o’clock rolls around; time to get up. “OK, Mom. I am getting up,” I say as my eyes drift back shut. It is now 6:25 and I spring up out of bed and try to get ready in time to leave at 7:00. Skipping breakfast, a mistake I will regret later, this is my typical morning. So, as a high school student, I know the concerns that people have expressed about the starting time for school. School starts too early, and I agree it should be started later and held an equal time longer.

78. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Introductions – student sample one First draft Today the cell phone is considered a prerequisite for becoming a teenager. The sound of a ring or a buzz has become normal and is often dismissed as nothing. Some schools however are taking a stand against the wireless device. Schools in New York often use metal detectors not only to catch knives and guns but also cell phones. The cell phone has had nothing but a bad influence in schools because many students use them to cheat on tests, text during class, or take inappropriate pictures in the locker room. Revised draft The class is silently taking a test and every student is concentrating for the last few precious moments. Suddenly the theme song from the O.C. comes on. Every child’s head is turned to the noise; the blushing student says sorry and hurriedly turns his phone to vibrate. The teacher then collects the papers even though many have blanks at the bottom. Cell phones in schools are just another nuisance many students could live without.

79. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Introductions – student sample two First draft Cell phones have become more and more frequently used in our modern and technologically advanced lives. Many people, mostly men and women from older generations, become quite annoyed when someone whips out their cell phone in a public place or right in the middle of a personal conversation. But when cell phones are used at appropriate times and for appropriate purposes, they make our lives so much more convenient. Cell phones should be left to use in the hands of Lawrence Public school students during school under the right guidelines. Cell phones provide easy communication between students in making after school arrangements and for medical and safety purposes. Revised draft “Ring! Ring!” Suzy Sophomore reaches into her purse to find her pink Razor. “Goodness, I’m so sorry; I thought I turned this thing off.” Everyone’s eyes divert to Suzy as some of the other students snicker and Mr. Nelson rolls his eyes, waiting impatiently. Mr. Nelson casually strides over to Suzy’s desk and takes away the phone for the rest of the period. This has happened twice today in his class, and he is becoming quite agitated for this interruption during his lesson. Instances such as these occur frequently in Lawrence Public Schools. Having a “No cell phone on school grounds” policy would prevent these occurrences and would benefit students and teachers greatly.

80. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Introduction Strategies – application  Return to your baseline paper (“Starting School Two Hours Later”).  Consider introduction strategies you have learned and revise your introduction to make it more effective.  Turn in your original copy and the revision.

81. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. argumentative Conclusions

82. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. argumentative Conclusions  Purpose clearly connects introduction and body of the paper. gives a sense of completion. does more than restate your arguments and position. gives the reader something to think about.

83. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Conclusion Strategies  Call to Action: the writer implores the audience to change.  Offer a Solution: the writer suggests some possibilities to resolve the problem posed.  Make a Prediction: similar to a startling statement, this can be a warning or an encouragement.

84. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. An Ineffective Conclusion I have given you three truthful explanations of why daily homework is an abomination to the high school. This is due to problems with participants in after school events, the time we spend with our families, and our jobs. Thank you for allowing me to express my feelings.

85. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Conclusions – Call to Action  Include a final appeal to reinforce your argument.  Clearly and forcefully state your desired action.  Give information needed to take that recommended action.

86. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Conclusions – Call to Action – student sample Daily mandatory homework for high school students would serve no real worthwhile purpose but to unnecessarily stress out students and teachers alike. Teachers and students are busy, stressed, preoccupied, and quite frankly, strung-out enough as it is without this. Please, I urge you not to put this in effect. Not simply because I don’t want homework for all seven classes every day, but because it would truly be detrimental to everyone actively participating in the public school now and in the future.

87. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Conclusions – Offer a Solution  Restate the problem.  Define and develop the solution.  Focus on the strengths of the solution.  This strategy differs from a call to action. More of a recommendation Stresses the solution to a problem

88. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Conclusions – Offer a Solution – student sample According to high schools with the highest test scores across the country, homework is only necessary when an individual student doesn’t understand a concept or needs additional practice. Therefore, mandatory homework in every class would be meaningless. Instead, teachers should assign homework on an individual basis. This solution would provide students with needed practice without needless busywork for students and endless grading for teachers. When students work on just their own weaknesses, rather than work assigned to the whole class, they will quickly see improvement and will be more motivated to stay in school.

89. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Conclusions – Make a Prediction  Takes the argument a step further than a summary  Keeps the reader thinking after reading your essay  Is based on the main points (arguments), creating joy, hope, gloom, suspense, etc.  Draws reader’s attention to the significance of the argument

90. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Conclusions – Make a Prediction – student sample Imagine an empty classroom. As students trickle in, without a word, they immediately take out a piece of paper and a pencil to start writing down today’s homework assignment. The teacher walks to the front of the class to admire her focused students as they work silently. Ring! Class is in session. We can make this longed-for dream a reality. Our high school’s motto has always been “Be the Best You Can Be” and if the required homework proposal is implemented, we really would be.

91. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Conclusions – student sample one First draft My plan seems very hard for teenagers to achieve, but it is not impossible. Maybe one day I can do this. If not me, hopefully someone else. Revised draft So if my plan really worked and some people helped me out, tons of people who lost their family would feel better. My friends and I would go to NYC and help the people who have no one anymore. They wouldn’t feel as lonely and they would know that there are still good people in the world. I hope one day I or someone else could do this.

92. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Conclusions – student sample two First draft In my mind this is pretty doable. But many schools have been trying for a long time to change hazing and have made many errors and are still on the brink of trying to stop this conflict, and need more discipline to make this idea work. What would help to make it work is have a national meeting in Washington D.C. and have all the people willing to help change this problem and have a better result than what it is now. Revised draft My idea compared to others is a plan that can work, but only if we have many people pitch in and help, or make other suggestions on how we could change the problem or hazing younger students. Many people believe there isn’t a problem with bullying at our school, but the truth is they don’t see what’s going on when there is no teacher or adult in sight. If my suggestion were acted on and if the people that bully others could really see what they’re doing to the victims, then I think they would understand that what they’re doing is wrong. So bring this plan into action, and have the bullies learn what life is like for the students they bully. This would stop the hazing in our school.

93. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Conclusion Strategies – application  Return to your baseline paper (“Starting School Two Hours Later”).  Consider conclusion strategies you have learned and revise your conclusion to make it more effective.  Turn in your original copy and the revision.

94. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Assessment Evaluating the quality of the Argumentation

95. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. argumentative Scoring Guide 1234  Has no position.  Shows little or no awareness of the audience.  Has few or no argumentative words, phrases, or strategies to support or show commitment to the position.  Has little or no variety in sentence length and structure.  Includes arguments but does not support position. Has little or no consideration of opposing arguments.  Has little or no elaboration, often only a list of arguments.  Lacks an organizational pattern, or simply lists reasons.  Uses few or no transitions to connect position, arguments, or evidence.  Has no recognizable opening.  Has no recognizable conclusion  Has an unclear or inconsistent position or may lose focus on that position.  Shows some awareness of the audience.  Has some use of argumentative words, phrases, and strategies to support or show commitment to the position.  Uses some variety in sentence length and structure.  Includes arguments that somewhat support position. Has some consideration of the opposing argument(s).  Uses some elaboration to support arguments.  Uses a basic organizational pattern or lacks sentence-to-sentence progression.  Uses basic transitions to connect position, arguments, or evidence.  Uses undeveloped or ineffective openings that are often list-like.  Ends with undeveloped or ineffective conclusions such as a repeated list of reasons.  Has an identifiable position and stays adequately focused on that position.  Shows an adequate awareness of the audience.  Uses adequate argumentative words, phrases, and strategies to support or show commitment to the position.  Uses sentences or phrases that are somewhat varied in length and structure to adequately persuade.  Has arguments that adequately support position. Addresses the opposing argument(s) adequately and, if important, refutes.  Uses adequate elaboration as needed to support arguments.  Organizes adequately and progresses logically to persuade the reader.  Uses transitions adequately to connect position, arguments, and evidence.  Begins with an adequate opening.  Ends with an adequate argumentative conclusion.  Has a clear position and stays purposefully focused on that position.  Shows a consistent awareness of the audience.  Selects effective argumentative words, phrases, and strategies that show commitment and urge the audience to support the position.  Uses sentences or purposeful fragments of varied length and structure effectively to persuade.  Has arguments that effectively support position. Addresses the opposing argument(s) consistently and, if important, refutes.  Uses purposeful elaboration as appropriate to support arguments.  Organizes writing effectively and progresses logically to make the best case to support position.  Uses purposeful transitions to show logical relationships between position, arguments, and evidence.  Begins with a compelling opening that engages the audience, establishes context, and states or implies the position.  Ends with an effective argumentative conclusion, such as a call for action.

96. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Assessment  Read the paper.  Refer to the scoring guide and identify where this paper best fits.  Be able to point to elements of the paper that support your opinion.  Discuss as a class.

97. Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Assessment  Score the paper for effective Argumentation using the Argumentation Scoring Guide.  Analyze what organizational structures and argumentative strategies have been used.  Analyze the introduction and conclusion strategies that have been used.